Temples in Canada support petition before House of Commons to recognise Hinduphobia

Toronto: Worried by a series of vandalisations over the past one year, several temples in Canada have extended their support to a petition before the House of Commons to formally recognise Hinduphobia.

Their backing has added momentum to the petition, which had gathered over 6,000 signatures as of Saturday evening, the largest number among all open petitions across categories.

The petition, sponsored by MP Melissa Lanstman opened for signatures on July 19 and will remain active till October 17.

Among the temples supporting the petition is the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, British Columbia, which was desecrated on August 12, with anti-India and pro-Khalistan posters pasted on its front gate and rear wall. The temple’s president Satish Kumar said while they would support pro-Hindu initiatives, they have become “more active” in securing signatures for the petition since the temple was targeted.

Also on board is the Brampton Triveni Mandir, which has hosted Lantsman and proponents of the petition, at drives organised at the temple. The temple’s spiritual leader Yudhisthir Dhanrajh said their support was motivated by the “string of vandalism attacks” on temples. “We are very engaged and are trying to do something about it. We don’t know if it (the petition) can solve the problem, but it can only help us,” he said.

Speaking at the temple on August 15, Lantsman, who is also the deputy Leader of the principal opposition Conservative Party in the House, told the gathering, “We want to call on this government to act because nobody in this country should be afraid to practice their faith, or run their business or go to a mandir or go to a school.”

Chimanbhai Patel, lifetime trustee of the Sanatan Mandir Cultural Centre in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) town of Markham said the series of vandalism incidents was significant as “people are getting a little bit afraid”. He added that while their temple has escaped being targeted so far, they are being proactive with security measures and actions like the getting behind the petition as “we don’t know if when it will be us next time”.

It isn’t only temples with Indian-origin congregations that are supportive. The Pashupatinath Temple in Brampton which serves the Nepali-Canadian community has joined the effort. Its spokesperson Chinta Uprety said, “Obviously, Hindu temples are being attacked by a different group of people. This is an important issue because our culture and religion are part of our lives.”

Also participating is the Sri Jain Mandir in Toronto, as its president Ahimendra Jain felt with rising “hate and crime” they felt “unprotected.”

Brought forward by the Canadian Organization for Hindu Heritage Education (COHHE), the petition calls upon the House to recognise Hinduphobia as a term in the glossary of terms in the Human Rights Code to describe anti-Hindu prejudice and discrimination, to define Hinduphobia as denial, negation, prejudice or vilification against Hindus, Hinduism, or Hinduness and to raise awareness and address systemic and institutional Hinduphobia.

The petition process commenced just days after signage at the Shri Bhagavad Gita Park in Brampton was vandalised on July 14. At least seven incidents of temples being targeted have been reported since July last year.

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